Hebrews 10:1-18
Animal Sacrifices Insufficient
1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’”
8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Christ’s Death Perfects the Sanctified
11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
Our perfection is guaranteed by the perfect sacrifice of the Son of God, the Lamb who takes away sin (John 1:29)! Our sanctification process follows the purchase of our redemption and perfects us more each passing day as we rest in the righteousness of Christ who offered Himself up for us to cover our sins by giving the life seen in His blood so we do not have to give our spiritual lifeblood in payment for our sins. The sacrificial system instituted in the old Law was utterly unable to achieve this permanent of forgiveness through impact animals which only temporarily covered sins because they only shadowed the heavenly sacrifice of a perfect and spotless Lamb of God who is the divine Son of God Himself. He is the very image of God and the sacrifice (Hebrews 1:3) and not a mere shadow as these altar calls of animal sacrifices which can never perfect those for whom their lives were given and blood shed in copious amounts over the years in the old temple. If the animal sacrifices were more than just a foreshadowing of the one true sacrifice by God (as the first animal was killed to cover us in Eden’s Garden recoded in Genesis 3:21), then we would not have needed the high priest to repeat that sacrifice every year. These yearly sacrifices were done then to remind us of the presence and accountability of our sin until they were atoned for in Him who was the perfect sacrifice of the perfect Man and Lamb who is God’s Son to make us His children through the acceptance made possible through the sacrifice on the cross of our curse (Galatians 3:13) that sin brought upon us all. The word of God long ago told us these things when Christ would arrive on earth to fulfill the word of God the Father in His offering of Himself as both sacrifice and mediator of the New Covenant by His grace offered as our perfect High Priest. The Old Testament further had told us how the animal sacrifices according to man’s works could never satiate the penalty for our sin because His work had told us be done on our behalf to be eternally effective. This is why we are only made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all and not through our efforts of imperfect works (Romans 3:23) and insufficient sacrifices made by our own hands. Jesus the Christ, Messiah, made the one perfect sacrifice that is effective forever and then ascended back to rule from the throne of heaven with His Father in power and authority (Matthew 28:18, John 17:2) and has entrusted those who are covered by His sacrifice to proclaim this good news to the world in that same power of divine authority. He has perfected us forever in the Son of Righteousness (Psalm 45:6-7, Hebrews 1:8) who heals us in grace through His all-atoning sacrifice offered perfectly in authority for us. He has forever forgiven and forgotten the penalty we are due for our sins and therefore there can be no further offerings made to cover what has been eternally covered by Him for us. We therefore find our complete and unending perfection in His perfect sacrifice that never can or should be repeated. Are you covered by the lifeblood of that sacrifice?
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